Falls Awareness and Prevention
Published on 27 October 2017 11:17 AM
Falls Prevention
You’d be forgiven for thinking that falls are a part of ageing- something that ‘just happens’ as you get older. There are lots of simple things that you can do to help you stay steady on your feet.
OurStaying steady guide has information for everyone, whether you’re fit and active, have difficulty walking and getting around, or are worried about falling.
Download our Staying steady guide (PDF 577KB)
Exercise for strength and balance
Exercise is one of the most effective ways to maintain independence and ensure we stay steady on our feet and reduce balance problems. Anything that challenges our balance and improves muscle strength, particularly in our legs, can help to reduce falls.
Walking, gardening, Tai Chi and dancing are great examples, or if you need more assistance, you can ask your GP or local council about strength and balance classes in your area.
You can also try out some balance exercises at home using our exercise book: Strength and balance exercises for healthy ageing:
Download Strength and balance exercises for healthy ageing (PDF 699KB)
Falls Awareness Week
Falls Awareness Week is an annual event which aims to highlight things you can do to reduce your risk of falling and the local services available to help you to do this.
This year’s Falls Awareness Week will focus on healthy feet. Keeping feet healthy is fundamental to maintaining mobility and independence.
Come along to your local event to find out more about things that you can do to keep you steady, such as looking after your feet , or exercise, or diet and many more. More details on your local event coming soon...
There are many other things to look out for which can also help to reduce the risk of falls, for example:
Having your eyes checked regularly
This will help to identify any difficulties you may be having with your glasses prescription or other vision problems that may be affecting your balance and co-ordination.
Looking after your feet
It sounds simple but wearing well fitted shoes and slippers can help to reduce your risk of falls by making sure you are able to feel contact with the floor. Report any problems with your feet to your GP or practice nurse.
Managing your medicines
Certain medicines can make you feel faint or affect your balance. Let your GP know if you ever feel like this after taking medicine or if you are taking several medicines, in case you no longer need them or the dose needs to be changed.
For more information on preventing falls and improving your strength and balance, download our Staying Steady guide (see above) or its summary handout Top tips for staying steady:
Download our Top tips for staying steady (PDF 211 KB)
Healthy diet
You may also like to try this home-made fish and chip recipe which, as part of a healthy diet, could improve the health of your bones.
You can find other useful guides on the Age UK website or by dropping into your local office. These include Caring for your Eyes, Healthy Eating and Healthy Living and many more.
More information that you may find useful and interesting includes:
Foot and ankle home exercise programme (PDF 344KB)
Boost Your Bones quiz and factsheet (PDF 223KB)
Falls self assessment tools
We also have self- assessment tools that older people and professionals can use to assess and reduce the risk of falling:
Make Your Home Falls Free checklist (PDF 831KB)
Your Falls Free Plan(PDF 1.25MB)
If you have had a fall, even if you haven’t needed medical treatment, it's important to discuss it with your GP to look for possible causes. Or if you're worried about falling, there are plenty of simple steps you can take to help put your mind at rest.
Your GP can refer you to the local Falls Service whose staff can work with you to draw up a plan to reduce the chance of you falling. For more information, visit your GP.
The Falls Directory also has details of local services and qualified instructors who specialise in strength and balance exercise classes in your area.
You may find these websites useful: